According to a Case List update from last week, a total of 5,201 lawsuits were pending in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas as of October 31st. Court records published less than two weeks earlier by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, on October 17th, show just 4,800 lawsuits filed in the federal proceeding, indicating a significant increase in the number of lawsuits filed over a version of the Pinnacle Hip Replacement System that includes a metal Ultamet liner.

“We are not surprised to see the federal DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit litigation growing at such a rapid rate. At our Firm, we regularly hear from recipients of this version of the device who have allegedly experienced early failure complications,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of dangerous drugs and medical devices, including the metal version of the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement. In addition to Firm partner, Jeffrey S. Grand’s role on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the federal DePuy Pinnacle lawsuit litigation, Bernstein Liebhard LLP is currently offering free case evaluations to anyone who may have been injured as a result of this all-metal hip device.

DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuits
Plaintiffs involved in the thousands of DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuits pending in the Northern District of Texas similarly allege the potential for metallic debris from the implant to accumulate in the recipient’s body, causing high metal levels in the blood stream. These cases further assert that the all-metal Pinnacle device is designed similarly to DePuy’s ASR hip replacement, which was recalled in August 2010 after a British hip registry revealed its potential to cause excessively high failure rates. (In re: DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2244)

As the number of cases filed against DePuy continues to grow, a new study linking metal-on-metal hip implants to pseudotumors was recently published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery.* Released on September 4th, the research found that 28 percent of metal-on-metal hip recipients developed pseudotumors after an average follow-up of 41 months. 129 individuals were involved in the study.

Months before findings of this Journal study were released, Bloomberg.com reported in May 2013 that DePuy Orthopaedics had announced plans to phase out sales of its metal-on-metal hip implants, including the Pinnacle device.** The decision was spurred by recent actions from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which included a proposal issued in January 2013 that would require all metal hip devices to undergo rigorous testing in order to receive market approval, as well as lower patient demand, the article states.

If you suffered pseudotumors, metallosis, or another complication associated with premature failure of the all-metal DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement, you may be entitled to compensation for damages. Learn more about filing a lawsuit in the absence of a Pinnacle hip recall by visiting Bernstein Liebhard LLP’s website, or by speaking with an attorney directly at 800-511-5092. The Firm is currently offering free and confidential case evaluations.

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the “Plaintiffs’ Hot List,” recognizing the top plaintiffs’ firms in the country, for
the past 11 consecutive years.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP
10 East 40th Street
New York, New York 10016
800-511-5092